Pick Tone and the right EQ

[LowB_FTW]

9 hours ago, Marky L said:

I've used these Wedgies for many years now. I like them for the thumb indentation that helps with grip.

 

I've recently started fiddling about with my EQ to try and remove some of the 'click' but I still want clank. Not there yet

I use this brand too, but the 5mm variant.

Also purchased from a UK eBay seller.

 

Mark

[SteveXFR]

Innocent question here, not judging or trying to start a fight, just curious. 

Why do you want a pick to sound like fingers? Is there a reason for not using fingers?

I play both styles because of the tonal differences.

I use a 0.88 pick and loads of bass, high mids and gain with low mids and treble cut for a really aggressive pick tone.

[BassAdder60]

8 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Innocent question here, not judging or trying to start a fight, just curious. 

Why do you want a pick to sound like fingers? Is there a reason for not using fingers?

I play both styles because of the tonal differences.

I use a 0.88 pick and loads of bass, high mids and gain with low mids and treble cut for a really aggressive pick tone.

That’s a good point 

My aim of using a pick was to sound fuller ( as achieved with fingers ) but with the variation in tone and dynamics that a pick can only give in my opinion. 
 

The finger played tone has a warmer fuller depth to the sound as example Living on a Prayer never sounded right played with a pick but more right with fingers but then other songs such as Don’t Believe a word, Basket Case / American Idiot sounded better with a pick 

To save changing methods during a gig ( also changing EQ, volume etc ) making one method suitable for all is tough. I found I could do every song with fingers and some sounded wrong  and when I played all songs with a pick the tone was on some songs lacking in fullness 

 

[BigRedX]

11 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Innocent question here, not judging or trying to start a fight, just curious. 

Why do you want a pick to sound like fingers? Is there a reason for not using fingers?

I play both styles because of the tonal differences.

I use a 0.88 pick and loads of bass, high mids and gain with low mids and treble cut for a really aggressive pick tone.

 

In my case the "feel" of my playing style with fingers is completely different to that with a pick. So I have picks that are close enough to sound of finger style and I have picks that give me a completely different sound.

[obi 2 kenobi]

This is a great pick sound and playing too. Check track 5. Flats?

 

 

[PaulWarning]

where you play the strings is important, over the pickup is my prefered option, seen players play near the bridge with a pick, sucks the bottom end right out.

If you want more bass, don't boost it, cut the the mids and treble

[PaulWarning]

28 minutes ago, obi 2 kenobi said:

This is a great pick sound and playing too. Check track 5. Flats?

 

 

always helps when the bass is up there in the mix and that is well up there, too much tbh

[miles'tone]

14 hours ago, LowB_FTW said:

I use this brand too, but the 5mm variant.

Also purchased from a UK eBay seller.

 

Mark

5mm?!! Is that a typo? 

[Stub Mandrel]

Has anyone got experience of felt picks?

 

I inagine these sound much more finger-like.

 

(In the early days Fender recommended "the thumb of the right hand or a plectrum of medium to heavy weight felt, if preferred". 

Using the first and second fingers of the right hand was for a more advanced stage were "speed and agility" were required.)

[2pods]

What do you call those big, black, triangular Gibson plectrums ?

I haven't used a plectrum for decades, but when I did I liked these.

 

Haven't seen any recently either.....

[LowB_FTW]

4 hours ago, miles'tone said:

5mm?!! Is that a typo? 

It is not.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184374210289

As already mentioned upthread, they are hard to come by in the UK.

The last few I got was ages ago from a U.K. eBay seller, and I've not seen any since then for sale in the U.K. whenever I've looked.

 

Mark

[Ed_S]

17 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Innocent question here, not judging or trying to start a fight, just curious. 

Why do you want a pick to sound like fingers? Is there a reason for not using fingers?

I play both styles because of the tonal differences.

I use a 0.88 pick and loads of bass, high mids and gain with low mids and treble cut for a really aggressive pick tone.

 

I realise nobody was asking me, but...

 

I play acoustic rock and singer-songwriter stuff with fingers as I prefer the sound for those genres, and I use a pick for pretty much everything else. The 'everything else' is a much greater proportion of my playing time, though, so my fingers aren't always in the kind of shape that can withstand hours of playing without risking blisters. Some seem to accept blistered fingers as an occupational hazard (maybe because it's their only option) but I can just switch to pick and not have to suffer, so having a pick and/or pick technique that gets me somewhere in the ballpark of my finger-style sound is really useful as it keeps things consistent-ish.

[Stub Mandrel]

I play fingerstyle quite hard but don't get blisters or callouses. 

 

Is it a technique thing?

[Ed_S]

7 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I play fingerstyle quite hard but don't get blisters or callouses. 

 

Is it a technique thing?

 

Possibly, though I'm not sure what I could do much differently. I don't get obvious callouses but I just find that if I've not done a few 15-20 minute practice sessions in the week, and then try to hit a 3 hour jam session on the weekend, I'll be at risk. If I've put that bit of pre-work in then I'm good to go, but I don't always have the time, inclination or advance notice.

[tauzero]

20 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Innocent question here, not judging or trying to start a fight, just curious. 

Why do you want a pick to sound like fingers? Is there a reason for not using fingers?

I play both styles because of the tonal differences.

I use a 0.88 pick and loads of bass, high mids and gain with low mids and treble cut for a really aggressive pick tone.

 

I don't use a plectrum for the different tone, I use it because the metacarpal of my right forefinger was broken when I was in my early 20s and it set with the knuckle perceptibly lower than the rest of my hand, so alternating between first and middle fingers is awkward and can get uneven - for some things I simply can't manage it with alternating fingers but can with a plectrum.

[Marky L]

On 21/08/2025 at 10:16, miles'tone said:

5mm?!! Is that a typo? 

 

I think they also do delrin and polycarbonate ones, not sure how thick they go!

[Si600]

I've always been unapologetically a pick player, previously I used Dunlop Tortex 0.6, but then I was given a sample pack from Rombo by my sister and these are my new favourites.

 

https://rombopicks.com/de/products/rombo-guitar-pick-set-origami-eco-black-4-guitar-picks

[Russ]

21 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

I don't use a plectrum for the different tone, I use it because the metacarpal of my right forefinger was broken when I was in my early 20s and it set with the knuckle perceptibly lower than the rest of my hand, so alternating between first and middle fingers is awkward and can get uneven - for some things I simply can't manage it with alternating fingers but can with a plectrum.

Can't remember who it was, some famous-ish bass player, but he had no mobility in his middle finger due to a similar injury, and he picked using his index and ring fingers. He reckoned that it was more consistent because your index and ring fingers are closer to being the same length. Maybe something that's worth a try? 

 

There's also Dann Glenn, who plays with his thumb and one finger in an alternate-picking manner due to an injury that caused the other fingers on his right hand to curl up towards his palm. Interesting technique, it's worth looking him up on YT.